Shuggie Otis On World Cafe

Blues and R&B musician Shuggie Otis is back with a new album for the first time in almost 40 years. For the reclusive Otis, the release of Wings of Love is major news. Its release is paired with his 1974 masterpiece Inspiration Information, which drew attention to Otis when it was first reissued by the Luaka Bop label in 2001.

Shuggie Otis' career began long before that; at 12, he was already performing professionally as a guitarist with his father's band. The elder Otis, who died last year, was an influential R&B pioneer.

On Friday's installment of World Cafe, Otis plays some of his recent material with his band — and talks about how he developed the cornerstone of Inspiration Information using a drum machine.